Truth in Reality is seeking volunteers to help create more truth in reality TV.  Please forward a copy of your resume to truthinreality829 (at) gmail.com, along with a brief note describing how you would like to contribute your skills and expertise to the Responsible Reality TV Movement. 

By Sil Lai Abrams

Originally published on TheGrio.com on 6/5/13

Recently, I hosted a Twitter chat via TheGrio’s Twitter account that discussed the ongoing assault on the image of black women in the media, specifically through reality television such as the newly-spawned hit Married to Medicine.

I went into this inaugural conversation entitled “From Julia to NeNe: Has Reality TV Destroyed the Image of Black Women in the Media?” with an open mind regarding the types of responses that we would receive from participants in the chat.

Many participants shared that they felt shows like Real Housewives of Atlanta, Love and Hip Hop, and Basketball Wives reinforce harmful racial stereotypes and teach viewers to disrespect black women. Concern was expressed not only about how these shows are influencing adult viewers, but also how they are impacting the minds of those who are not the targeted audience of these shows, such as children.

Now, I hate to burst a reality TV enthusiast’s entertainment-fueled bubble of denial, but kids are watching these shows. As much as many parents will insist “not in my house,” there’s a good chance that your child has swallowed reality show toxins.

Case in point: At a recent Girl Scouts event, I had a fifth grader tell me that Bad Girls Club was her favorite television show. Not Doc McStuffins. Not SpongeBob SquarePants. BAD GIRLS CLUB.

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	Try and restrict television time to one or two hours per day, however, keep in mind that quantity is not as much an issue as quality. In other words, it's what is watched more than how much is watched that is most important.
	Preview ahead programs that your kids want to watch and make an informed decision as to whether they are appropriate or not.
	Substitute your children's favorite videos for network programming. Most kids like to watch favorite videos repeatedly.
	Frankly discuss any violent content with your children. Be sure that they have a firm grasp on the difference between fantasy and reality. Focus on the suffering caused by violence as opposed to messages that portray violence as acceptable. Research has found that one of the best ways of avoiding the negative effects of TV violence on children is to involve them in discussions about how children can be fooled or hurt by what they see on television.
	Encourage viewing of pro-social and educational TV programming. Some research suggests that viewing television programs that enhance learning, teach moral lessons, and model caring behavior (such as Mister Rogers' Neighborhood) can be a positive influence.
	Find alternatives to watching TV. Encourage reading, participation in sports or extracurricular activities, or simply more creative play that occurs when the TV is off.
	Don't use television as a babysitter. This is sometimes hard, especially for working parents. It's quite tempting to sit kids in front of the TV so you can get dinner on the table, or attend to chores that need to be done, or even have a few moments to yourself. Be sure that the TV viewing is going to be a positive experience for your child no matter what the circumstances.
	Finally, and this is probably the most important one - you want to be sure that you have a close relationship with your child that is nurturing and caring. You must spend adequate positive time together. Also, take the time to teach the values you want them to internalize. Help them learn to solve problems and conflicts through nonviolent means and effective communication. Children who have strong attachments to their parents, and feel loved and secure in those relationships, are much less likely to be negatively effected by television than those who feel isolated and neglected. Be sure that you are the primary influence in your child's development rather that the TV.   Source

National NAACP event to be held in Naples, FL, Memorial Day weekend

WHO: NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock; NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous; Truth in Reality founder Sil Lai Abrams; professional racer Nicole Lyons, former Delta Sigma Theta President Gwendolyn Boyd, others TBA

WHAT: NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock will host the ninth annual Leadership 500 Summit over Memorial Day Weekend at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Naples, FL. The summit is a venue for professionals and thought-leaders to engage with each other and with the NAACP. This year’s theme is, “Leadership is Not a Title, It is an Action!”

The summit is the brainchild of NAACP Chairman Roslyn Brock, the youngest woman to hold that position.

“Leadership is not something you are given; it is something you earn and something you learn,” stated Brock. “The Leadership 500 Conference offers current and aspiring leaders the chance to connect with peers who share their passion for social justice. We will bring together politicians, teachers, entrepreneurs, athletes, and business leaders who all have one thing in common: a dedication to civil and human rights in their personal lives and in their careers.”

Participants will attend two and a half days of workshops, interactive panel discussions and general sessions. A Town Hall Meeting titled “Twenty First Century Black Women” will address issues affecting women of color, ranging from employment and gender equality to trafficking and indentured servitude. The Town Hall Meeting will be live streamed. Other workshops will cover criminal justice, health, media, entrepreneurship, and other issues.

WHERE:
475 Seagate Drive
Naples, FL 34103

WHEN:
May 23-26, 2013
For a full schedule, visit http://www.l500.org/thursday.html.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

As international Women’s History Month comes to a close today, examining the image of black women in media, and how it has evolved over time, may shed light on how black women will continue to make historic inroads in the future.

In the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou, the poet writes: “You may write me down in history/With your bitter, twisted lies,/You may trod me in the very dirt/But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” Many of the historical lies told about black women have been wrought through negative images in media. Yet, we have also “risen” through the same means, through positive images that inspire us to achieve.  These dueling images — the destructive and the empowering — are engaged in a fierce battle even today through our most powerful mechanism of media dissemination – TV.

The current popular depiction of black women on television is caught between two extremes. On one hand, you have an emotionally complex, intelligent and self-made woman in the character of Olivia Pope on the wildly popular ABC show Scandal.  (While there are other, less sophisticated characters on scripted shows like The Game and Meet the Browns, they for the most part are ignored by black media.  Meet the Browns, despite being a Tyler Perry production, is never a trending topic on Twitter.)

At the other end of spectrum, there is the gimmicky, low-rent version of Olivia Pope, mostly seen on “reality” television. From the perspective of superficial appearances, this black woman seems to operate from a somewhat similar privileged segment of society. This woman also lives in a finely appointed home, dines at the finest restaurants, and wears designer clothing. However unlike the fictional business woman of Ms. Pope, the “crazy black reality show chick” generally cobbles together her ostentatious and opulent lifestyle via a usually dysfunctional relationship, whether past or present, with a man of financial means.

Such a formulaic presentation of black women on TV is lucrative. The numbers are in and the people have spoken.  Married to Medicine, for instance, the latest network reality show to feature another slice of Atlanta’s endless supply of black female subcultures, is a bona fide hit. It debuted to Bravo’s highest ratings for a reality program that wasn’t spun off from an existing show, with a solid 1.9 million people tuning in to this newest feat of cable programming focused on drama and cat fights.

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